Homily for the Thirteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time, Year B Wisdom 1:13-15; 2:23-24/ Psalm 30/2Corinthians 8:7, 9, 13-15/ Mark 5:21-43 THEME: Promote the culture of life

The point of convergence between the readings is the power of faith. In the Gospel, the doctors’ inability to cure the woman with a hemorrhage is countered by the healing force of her faith in Jesus; the power of death that has imposed itself on the life of Jairus’ daughter is countered by the greater power of Christ to restore her to life by virtue of her faith. These two examples in the Gospel emphasize that God (and Jesus, the Messiah and Son of God) did not create death, but that he is the Lord of life (First Reading), and thus has power over death itself. The force of faith and the power of God become manifest in the life of Christians; indeed, thanks to the power of faith they are able to overcome ethnic and cultural barriers, and express their fraternal charity to the brothers of Judea by means of the collection of money (Second Reading). Faith overcomes death is the story of the first reading. God is always on the side of life. He wants us to live. All that diminishes or ruins it does not come from him, but from our sins. The power of death is universal. It is a disconcerting power, which causes concern, anguish. It is a great question nailed in the heart of history. Does God want man’s death? Does death have the last say? Is there any sense to death? Today’s liturgy provides us with a sketch of an answer: 1) Death, perceived not as a transition from a state of life to another state, but as the loss of the relationship with the source of life, God, as a thief that violently wrenches us away from the treasure of life, does not have God at its origin, but has entered the world through the devil’s envy. The burden of anguish, desperation and nihilism that death carries on its shoulders comes from the enemy of God and man, the enemy of life, the devil. 2) Man was created in the likeness of God, the Lord of life; this is why man was created for life, not for death; he was made immortal, like God himself. 3) The power of life over sickness and death finds two examples in the power of faith expressed both by the woman with a hemorrhage and Jairus. In this crowd on that faithful day stood two people in need and anxious to see Jesus: Jairus and the woman suffering from an incurable disease hemorrhage. The contrast between these two needy people is striking and reveals the wideness of Christ’s love and mercy. Jairus was an important synagogue officer and the woman was an anonymous “nobody”, yet Jesus welcomed and helped them both. Jairus was about lose a daughter who had given him twelve years of happiness (Mark 5:42) and the woman was about to lose an affliction that had brought her twelve years of sorrow. Being a synagogue officer, Jairus no doubt wealthy, but his wealth could not save his dying daughter. The woman was already bankrupt. She has given the doctors all her money and yet none of them could cure her. Both of them found answers at the feet of Jesus (Mark 5:22, 33). The woman had a hemorrhage that was apparently incurable and was slowly destroying her. One can only imagine the pain and emotional pressure that sapped her strength day after day. When you consider her many disappointments with doctors and the poverty it brought to her, you wonder how she endured as long as she did. But there was one added burden: according to the law, she was ceremonially unclean, which greatly restricted both her religious and social life. What a burden she carried? However, she let nothing stand her way as she pushed through the crowd and came to Jesus. She could have used any number of excuses to convince herself to stay away from him. She might have said “it is not important enough to ask Jesus for help! Or “look, He is going with Jairus, so I wont bother him now.” She could have argued that nothing else had helped her, so why try again? Or she might have concluded that it was not right to come to Jesus as a last resort, after visiting all those physicians. However, she laid aside all arguments and excuses and came by faith to Jesus. What kind of faith did she have? It was weak and timid, and perhaps somewhat superstitious. She kept saying to herself that she had to touch His clothes in order to be healed (cf Mark: 10; 6:56). She had heard reports of others being healed by Jesus (Mark 5:27), so she made this one great attempt to get through to the saviour. She was not disappointed. Jesus honoured her faith, weak as it was, and healed her body. There is a good lesson here for us all. Not everybody has the same degree of faith, but Jesus responds to faith no matter how feeble it might be. When we believe, he shares his power with us and something happens in our lives. There were many others in that crowd who were close to Jesus and even pressing against him, but they experienced no miracles. Why? Because they did not have faith. It is one thing to thronged to him and something else to trust him. The woman planned to slip away and get lost in the crowd, but Jesus turned and stopped her. Tenderly he elicited from her a wonderful testimony of what the Lord had done for her. Why did Jesus deal with her publicly? Why did he not simply permit her to remain anonymous and go her way? For one thing, He did it for her own sake. He wanted to be to her something than a healer: he wanted to be her something more than a healer: he wanted to be her saviour and friend as well. He wanted her to look into his face , feel his tenderness and hear his loving words of assurance. By the time he finished speaking to her, she experienced something more than physical healing. He called her “Daughter” and sent her on her way with a benediction of peace (Mark 5:34). To “be made whole” meant much more than receiving mere physical healing. He had given her spiritual healing as well. Faith works miracles. Certainly, we need faith in Jesus Christ and in the truths that he proposes for us to believe in. But faith is also confidence in and abandonment to the power of Jesus Christ. Let us not think that the power of faith belongs to the past, to dark times in which faith, superstition and irrationality traveled along the same path and were intertwined. The power of faith is not confined in terms of space or time; nor is it confined by the body or soul. The power of faith is total. Today there are still miracles, and frequent miracles, in people who with an immense faith ask God, with the intercession of the Blessed Virgin or of some saint, the healing of the body or soul. If we count the miracles that each year are recognized by the Congregation for Saints, they add up to several dozens. In conclusion, faith works through charity, Saint Paul tells us. Faith creates solidarity. Providentially, in the collective conscience of our time, there is a greater sensitivity to the needs of our Christian brothers and of all men. The power of faith in Christ the Lord imposes itself on all of these aspects, and moves the Christian Gentiles to an extraordinary gesture of charity, for we are all brothers in Christ, and we must help one another.

Homily for the Solemnity of the Nativity of John The Baptist, Year B Isaiah 49:1-6/ Psalm 139/Acts 13:22-26/Luke 1:57-66, 80 THEME: God is gracious

Dearest in the Lord, today, the Church celebrates the birth of John the Baptist, the forerunner of Jesus Christ whom we usually encounter in the season of Advent. As a rule, the Church celebrates the feast of a saint once a year, usually on the anniversary of the saint’s death. But in the case of John the Baptist, we celebrate his birth as well as his death. He is the only saint after our Lord Jesus Christ whose birth we celebrate with a solemn feast. Do you know why? Because “Of all those born of women, none is greater than John,” Jesus says in Luke 7:28. The Church is only affirming the Lord’s declaration. The first reading tells us of a faithful Servant of God, who will be the light of all peoples. There were those who thought that the Baptist was the light, but John the evangelist clarifies this immediately: “He was not the light, but came to testify to the light”; “the true light who enlightens everyone is Christ only” (John 1:8-9). It is only Luke who describes the birth of the Baptist, while the other evangelists mention him only at the beginning of the public life of Jesus. Luke does so in order to show that with John a new era has dawned: the old order has ended; the time of the promises has ended, there is to be no more waiting, the time has begun for such promises to be fulfilled. God has kept His word. The first reading forms part of the book of the Prophet Isaiah called The book of Consolation written while the people of Israel were in exile in Babylon. This section focuses on the Servant’s mission God’s people. The prophet says, “The Lord called me before I was born, while I was in my mother’s womb he named me. He made my mouth like a sharp sword; in the shadow of his hand he hid me” (Isaiah 49:1-2a). This means that the great Author of redemption shows the authority for his work. Thus to compare his mouth to a sword is to show that the Word of God is powerful to plant and to uproot. The sword of his word slays the lusts of his people, and all at enmity with them. Again, the author says, “He made me a polished arrow, in his quiver he hid me away” (Isaiah 49:2b). His sharp arrows wounds lax consciences; but all these wounds will be healed, when the sinner prays to him for mercy. But even the Redeemer in his personal ministry, often seemed to labour in vain. And if Jacob will not be brought back to God, and Israel will not be gathered, still Christ will be glorious. This promise is in part fulfilled in the calling of the Gentiles. Men perish in darkness. But Christ enlightens men, and so makes them holy and happy. Beloved in Christ, in John in the Gospel reading, we see that before we were born, God already had a purpose for us. This is what the first Reading emphasises, the Prophet himself said, “Hear me O coastlands, listen, O distant peoples. The Lord called me from birth; from my mother’s womb he gave me my name” (Isaiah 49:1). And in Jeremiah 1:5, God said to Jeremiah, “Before you were formed in your mother’s womb, I knew you, before you were born I have set you apart and appointed you as a prophet to the nations.” Before we were born into this world, God already had a purpose for us. Now, part of our calling is discovering our purpose in life and being faithful to its requirement. Probably, the reason why we are still living is because we are yet to accomplish our purpose in life. Any day the purpose and mission are accomplished, God may call us home. John the Baptist is being remembered today not simply because God called him to a special vocation but because he faithfully walked on the path that God had called him to tread on. Again, the Gospel reading focuses chiefly on the naming ceremony of the new born child. But why does the Gospel show such an interest in the naming of the child? What is in a name? In biblical times, and still today in many African cultures, names are not mere appellations. They are not just titles with no relevance to life. Children are not just given names simply because such names sound beautiful. Personal names convey what the bearer of the name stands for. Personal names can convey one’s faith; it can describe an event or an experience. It can also give a hint of someone’s mission on earth. In the Gospel, when Simon demonstrated that he could be relied upon as the leader of the Lord’s Apostles, Jesus gave him the name Peter which means “Rock.” When the sons of Zebedee, James and John, asked Jesus to call down fire from heaven to consume the inhabitants of a Samaritan village that refused to welcome Jesus, they were given a new name “Sons of Thunder.” In the Bible, names reveal an essential character or destiny of the bearer. What then is the meaning of the name John? The name John means “God is gracious.” This means that John’s birth points to a new beginning, a new era, an era that will be marked not by punishment but by grace, love and forgiveness. The birth of John is the threshold of God’s grace. Let us not forget that the mission of John the Baptist is closely bound to the mission of Jesus Christ. Through his preaching of repentance and conversion, he prepared people to hear and accept Jesus and his message. The name John means “God is gracious.” John was not the source of grace, but he pointed to the presence of God’s grace among God’s people. John was simply a threshold, that is, a point of entry. Jesus is the grace. The meaning of the name John was only an announcement to the people that the era of grace is coming, in fact, it is already here. And in John 1:29, St. John the Baptist declared, “Behold the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world. This is the one I meant when I said ‘A man who comes after me is greater than me because he was before me.” The people of Israel believed in a punitive and vengeful God. They believed in a God that acts like police officers (who hide in a corner of the road just to catch those over-speeding and ticket them). But the name of John conveyed that the people’s notion of God was wrong, that God is gracious. And God’s graciousness was ultimately demonstrated in the sending of his only begotten Son. And what did God’s Son tell us about God? “God loved the world so much that he gave his only begotten Son so that whoever believes will not perish, but will have everlasting life” (John 3:16). How privileged we are to live in an era of fulfilled promises and yet we behave as if God has only made promises without fulfilling them. He has fulfilled those promises in your life already. Claim it; possess your possession. What has the naming ceremony of John got to do with us? The psalmist is overwhelmed at the way God’s knowledge of us penetrates into the womb. The histories of Jesus and John teach us that truly God’s purposes for us begin in the womb, before birth: “My soul also you knew full well; nor was my frame unknown to You when I was made in secret, when I was fashioned in the depths of the earth” (Psalm 139:15). This very personal knowledge God has of us is a comfort to the psalmist, as it should be to us, too. When we understand that “my journeys and my rest you scrutinize, with all my ways You are familiar,” then we will sing with the psalmist: “I praise You, for I am wonderfully made.” On one of his missionary journeys, St. Paul preached this message, recorded in Acts, to his fellow Jews. He outlined for them the human history through which God accomplished His purpose of redemption and reconciliation for mankind. First through David, by establishing a throne, then through John, by “preaching a baptism of repentance,” God kept His promise to send “Israel a savior, Jesus.” Because we are thinking specifically about John the Baptist today, we want to note the purpose of his work in particular. It was to prepare the people to receive a Savior. To do that, they would need to be shaken up a bit, stirred out of their lethargy or indifference toward God. They would need to believe they really needed saving, and they needed to be assured that the One Who was coming was way beyond their imaginations. As obviously devout as John the Baptist was to the people who flocked to him, he declared that he was not to be compared to the one coming after him; for he declares “I am not worthy to unfasten the sandals of His feet.” In sum, as we celebrate the birth of St. John the Baptist and read the beautiful story of how he got his name which was given to him by God. I want to ask each of us: If we are to receive a new name, a name which represents our mission, our purpose, our identity and our calling in life, what would that name be? The name John means “God is gracious” and through his work on earth, John announced this God to his people. What name would you choose? What message and mission would such a name convey? There is something in every name. At birth, my parents named me Agbeshie which means literally “I have life.” According to your mission, goal, and purpose in life, what name would you choose?

Homily for the Eleventh Sunday in Ordinary Time, Year B Ezekiel 17:22-24/ Psalm 92/2Corinthians 5:6-10/ Mark 4:26-34 THEME: God’s power brings growth

The power of God, which is beyond any human power, is very present in the biblical texts for this Sunday. It is the power of God that transplants the shoot of cedar (the remnant of Israel), cut by Nebuchadnezzar and carried to Babylon, back to Zion in order for it to grow in the city of God (First Reading). The Gospel tells us too of the power that God gives the seed to grow to reach full maturity (First Parable) or, being extremely small, to grow into a leafy tree in which all the birds of the sky can take shelter (Second Parable). Trusting in this extraordinary power of God, manifested in Christ, in the midst of his apostolic efforts, Paul desires and waits to receive his reward from the Lord, the judge of our life. The first reading brings this out vividly the unfathomable power of God. Nebuchadnezzar, the most powerful man on earth in his time, had cut a shoot from the top of a cedar, a symbol of Israel, and transplanted it in Babylon; but God is more powerful than Nebuchadnezzar, in due course, takes that shoot and transports it to Mount Zion to plant it on the crest of the city to become a tree in which all peoples can take refuge. It is clear that God’s power shines forth in a unique way in the face of the imposing power of men. The people of Israel, exiled in Babylon, will return to Jerusalem, to Mount Zion, where all the peoples of the earth will find shelter. What then is our task in this history directed by our God? Certainly, and in the first place, it is to not be an obstacle to God’s action. It is mainly to joyfully accept God’s pace, to open our minds and hearts to it, and to do our part in vitally internalizing God’s plans and helping others do the same. Thus we will arrive at the tribunal of God at the end of our existence, serene and peaceful, like Paul, because "we aspire to please him" (2 Corinthians 5:9) The Kingdom of God, and salvation history in which the Kingdom has its place, marches through time at God’s beat, not what men want or would like to impose. The seed of the Kingdom reaches maturity and the harvest according to the pace of growth that the Lord infuses into seed’s core. The tiny mustard seed becomes a leafy tree, capable of accommodating in its branches the birds of the air, as quickly or as slowly as God allows. This is what the gospel reading focuses on. "The Kingdom of God is like a seed ...;" "it is like a mustard seed ...." The parables say nothing about human action. It is not that they deny it, but it is immaterial to Jesus in expounding the message he wants to communicate. Christ is interested in underlining the powerful action of God in building his Kingdom in the world. The sower is God, not man. It is God who makes the seed grow (seed, stem, ear, grain), not man. The angels of God collect the grain, not man. Jesus wants to make clear in his hearers – and us – that the entire process of building the Kingdom among men, in history, is especially God´s work. "The weakness of God" and the “power of men” is what sometimes we are made to realize in this world of fragile peace and broken promises. In everyday experience, what do we perceive when we look around us, at the world in which we live and work? What immediately appears before our eyes is the power of men. There is political power that can be used for the good of all citizens, but because of the abuse of power, can be – and unfortunately in many cases it is – the cause of pressure, corruption, despotism, or disinterest in the good of the citizens. There is legislative power that subjects people to unjust laws, or that, yielding to powerful minorities, goes against the thoughts and feelings of a nation’s majority. There is economic power, able sometimes to manipulate people, families, institutions and even governments, for the benefit of a few who "govern" the march of history, motivated by self-interest. There is the power of information that, when misused, enthrones lies over truth, evil over good, novelty over the real value of things, impressions over reflection, superficiality over depth. Is the power of God overshadowed by the power of men? Why does not God act with all his power and put human power in its proper place? St. Paul gives us an answer in the First Letter to the Corinthians. Paul preaches a crucified Christ as the savior of mankind. Paul’s proclamation is a stumbling block to Jews and foolishness to Gentiles, but for believers, a Christ who is the power of God and the wisdom of God. He concludes his argument with these words: "For the foolishness of God is wiser than human wisdom, and the weakness of God is stronger than human strength" (1 Corinthians 1:25). God’s power is revealed in weakness, because God is patient, compassionate and merciful, full of mercy. Human powers are fragile, and any circumstance whatsoever can destroy an arsenal of power consolidated over a long time. God’s power is eternal, and it is manifested in this world to those who love him, and in eternity to all men, who will be judged "according to what [they] did in the body, whether good or evil" (2 Corinthians 5:10). What then is God’s power and man´s task? In the eyes of many, God’s power can be overshadowed, obscured by the power of men; some may even conclude that there is no such divine power. What is the task of man before the real power of God in this world and in the hereafter? A very necessary task today is to open the eyes of men to faith, because the power of God shines forth only to the eyes of faith. Today each and every Christian needs to be a transmitter of the faith, a missionary who preaches the central mystery of our faith: "Christ suffered and died for our sins and rose for our salvation." It’s not about "imposing" the faith, but announcing it, sharing it, transmitting it with joy and love, making it into prayer, embracing it through authentic living. Thus Christians make visible God’s power in their life and spark a light in the minds of those who have not yet discovered God’s amazing power – which is none other than the power of a Father who wants the best for each and every one of his children. The way God orders human powers for the service of mankind is through the power of his love. Will the mighty men of this world welcome in their heart and life this incredible challenge of God´s power? We are called to be like that mustard seed that grows into a huge shrub that the many will see our life and run to the source of life. The following are the moral lessons for our reflection and edification. In the face of these difficulties and objections, we have to remind ourselves of three aspects of the activity of building the kingdom. First, the building of the kingdom is nothing less than bringing God's love closer to creation. It is not the equivalent of recruiting converts or seeking out adherents to our way of doing things. The kingdom happens when it happens: whenever someone looks at the world afresh, has new joy, rejoices in beauty, or is encouraged to seek the good. This intimate scale of the kingdom is proportionate to the scale of the deeds we are called to perform every day. If we cannot communicate love in little things, then we will not succeed in bigger things. Second, each of us is called to carry out the activities of building the kingdom as part of a community. This community is this Church. We are not just a bundle of individuals who happen to share a view of the universe; we are one people bonded together as the body of Christ. We engage in all these little things knowing that all of those we can call brothers and sisters can work in the same way, we can encourage one another, support one another, and comfort one another along no matter how arduous the path is. Third, we are people who are called to live by faith, act with love, and walk with hope. Hope is living with the 'not yet,' the apparent incompleteness of what we do, the energy to get up again after we have confronted frustration. “Fourth, think global, act local' (or as we might rephrase it into more religious terms: 'Think God, love neighbour') also fits into the basic plan of salvation. We seek to build the kingdom of the Father — and we pray for its coming. We do this in union with the Son — we act as the body of Christ. We press on in hope which is an effect of the Holy Spirit living within us —and the Spirit enlightens and enlivens us. Fifth, 'think global, act local' has become one of the valuable slogans for many groups. We Christians must also make this slogan our own: it can help us link the values of the kingdom to the practical actions our human situations demand, and it can give concrete expression to one of the pressing urgencies of discipleship. In conclusion, the unique message of Jesus is summed up by his use of the phrase 'kingdom of God' and his unique way of speaking about it was the parable. No doubt Jesus could have written a book or given a series of dogmas and rules, but he chose rather to tell short stories by way of illustration. The kingdom he speaks of is not the afterlife but an expression of how God wants the world to be. So the parables of the kingdom deal with God's will for the world and how his grace is at work around us. As such, they offer both comfort and challenge. Today's parables stress that we must not fret or worry but rather trust that the kingdom will come because God wants it to. They are an invitation to take time to consider how the plan of God unfolds around us in ways that are both surprising and sure. We are invited to appreciate deeply the kingdom of God as a present reality and a future reality; in which the latter is dependent on the former.

Homily for the Solemnity of the Body and Blood of Christ, Year B Exodus 24:3-8/ Psalm 116/Hebrews 9:11-15/ Mark 14:12-16, 22-26 THEME: The Eucharist is a sacrifice

Today’s liturgy presents the Eucharist as the sacrifice of the New Covenant. The First reading describes a ceremony in the Old Covenant. To understand what happened at the foot of Mount Sinai is indispensable for an understanding of the meaning of the Eucharist. The Gospel reading presents Christ giving his life as the sacrifice of the New Covenant. It is through his blood that the New Covenant between God and humanity is enacted. The Letter to the Hebrews shows the superiority of the New Covenant over the old. The First reading places our understanding of the Eucharist in its proper perspective by emphasizing its sacrificial character. Having read out the Words of God to the people, we are told that Moses “… rose early morning and built an altar at the foot of the mountain…” (Exodus 24:4). Not only that “Moses took the blood and dashed it on the people and said, see the blood of the covenant that the Lord has made with you in accordance with all these words” (Exodus 24:8). The mention of blood presupposes sacrifice. Here it was the blood of bulls and lambs. Just as the blood sprinkled on the Israelites was the seal of God’s covenant with them, the Eucharist becomes the seal of the covenantal relationship we have with God in the New Testament. This is because in it Christ offers his life; a re-presentation of bloody sacrifice on the Cross. Here we are privileged to dine with the Lord. Here we meet him face to face unlike the Israelites who were afraid to behold the face of God or even get near him. Indeed, Christ offer himself to us as food as a priest, victim and altar of sacrifice. There is no religion in our world in which the priest offers his very life for his members. Christ did it for us all whether we believe it or not. St. Paul puts it beautifully: “For as often as you eat this bread and drink the cup, you proclaim the Lord’s death until he comes” (1Corinthians 11:26). The Gospel reading presents Jesus as the mediator of the New Covenant. At the institution of the Holy Eucharist, he told his apostles: “…this is my blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many” (Mark 14:24). By this very fact Jesus brings out clearly the communal aspect of the Eucharist. By the nature of its celebration, the Eucharist guarantees salvation. It is poured out for the salvation of many. To show the link between the Eucharist and Jesus’ death on the cross, St. Mark tells us in the Last Supper narrative that “… when they had sung a hymn, they went out to the Mount of Olives (Mark 14:26). Thus after the unbloody sacrifice in the form of Bread and wine, Jesus goes on to give a concrete expression to his total self-giving to the entire world by his bloody sacrifice on the cross. What have we become after partaking of the Eucharist? Jesus sacrificed his life for us. We are called to do same namely to sacrifice for one another. Among the New Testament books, it is the Letter to the Hebrews that brings out clearly the concept of the Priesthood. It shows that Jesus’ priesthood is superior to that of the Old Testament priesthood and it has a sacrificial character. The author says, “For if the sprinkling of defiled persons with the blood of goats and bulls and with the ashes of a heifer sanctifies for the purification of the flesh, how much more shall the blood of Christ, how much more shall the blood of Christ…” If we are privileged to have some share in the Eucharistic sacrifice, then let us join the Psalmist in saying, “How can I repay the Lord for all his goodness to me? The cup of salvation I will raise; I will call on the name of the Lord…” (Psalm 116:12-13). Let us imagine you are taking a course in school, that I am your teacher, and that I have assigned you to write an essay on the Church, asking you to set forth in your essay the true nature of the Church along with describing it to me. If you devoted your essay to describing your parish and wrote of its nature, structure, and purpose I would not give you a passing grade. If instead you wrote about the diocese, the diocesan offices, departments and commissions, and further wrote about the bishop and his responsibilities, I would not give you a passing grade. If you wrote about the Pope, the Cardinals, and the offices of the Vatican, I would likewise not give you a passing grade. The structure of the Church with all of its offices, functions, and presence within the social order of our world, while important and very necessary, is not the Church in its essential reality. The core and essence of the Church is found in what the New Testament calls “The Mystical Body of Christ.” In the Church’s Sacraments we encounter the located presence of the risen, Spirit-filled Christ. And so where do we find the Church? Within us! But there is more, something that is astonishingly greater… and that is found in God’s becoming one with us in the Eucharist. The Eucharist, the Body and Blood of Christ Jesus the Son of God, brings to us God’s very Presence. And not only that, it joins God’s very own life into ours. The Eucharist is not only a symbol; it is more than a symbol; it is Christ. Receiving the Eucharist is receiving within us God’s very own life. In the Eucharist, God’s life and our human life are, by His power, fused together. Why would anyone ignore or even refuse this gift? And yet, as we all know so very well, many do. You and I have heard any number of excuses made by others, even members of our own families, for not coming to Mass. It is boring, we are told. Priests do not preach good homilies, we are told. Those who go to Mass are hypocrites, we are told… and so on, and so on. Excuses, excuses… we have heard them all. They all ignore what God is doing here. According to Pope John Paul II of blessed memory in his encyclical Ecclesia de Eucharistia, “The Church draws her life from the Eucharist. This truth does not simply express a daily experience of faith, but recapitulates the heart of the mystery of the Church. In a variety of ways she joyfully experiences the constant fulfilment of the promise: “Lo, I am with you always, to the close of the age” (Mt 28:20), but in the Holy Eucharist, through the changing of bread and wine into the body and blood of the Lord, she rejoices in this presence with unique intensity. Ever since Pentecost, when the Church, the People of the New Covenant, began her pilgrim journey towards her heavenly homeland, the Divine Sacrament has continued to mark the passing of her days, filling them with confident hope.” The Second Vatican Council rightly proclaimed that the Eucharistic sacrifice is “the source and summit of the Christian life”. “For the Most Holy Eucharist contains the Church's entire spiritual wealth: Christ himself, our Passover and living bread. Through his own flesh, now made living and life-giving by the Holy Spirit, he offers life to men”. Consequently the gaze of the Church is constantly turned to her Lord, present in the Sacrament of the Altar, in which she discovers the full manifestation of his boundless love. By giving the Eucharist the prominence it deserves, and by being careful not to diminish any of its dimensions or demands, we show that we are truly conscious of the greatness of this gift. We are urged to do so by an uninterrupted tradition, which from the first centuries on has found the Christian community ever vigilant in guarding this “treasure”. Inspired by love, the Church is anxious to hand on to future generations of Christians, without loss, her faith and teaching with regard to the mystery of the Eucharist. There can be no danger of excess in our care for this mystery, for “in this sacrament is recapitulated the whole mystery of our salvation” (104). The Church draws her life from Christ in the Eucharist; by him she is fed and by him she is enlightened. The Eucharist is both a mystery of faith and a “mystery of light”. Whenever the Church celebrates the Eucharist, the faithful can in some way relive the experience of the two disciples on the road to Emmaus: “their eyes were opened and they recognized him” (Lk 24:31). In sum, in the opening prayer of this Mass, we prayed that: “O God, who in this wonderful Sacrament have left us a memorial of your Passion, grant us, we pray, so to revere the sacred mysteries of your Body and Blood that we may always experience in ourselves the fruits of your redemption…”. May we become what we celebrate and may the fruits of our redemption be seen by all. Like St. Thomas Aquinas once said: “No sacrament contributes more to our salvation than this; for it purges away our sins, increases our virtues and nourishes our minds with an abundance of all the spiritual gifts”. The Mass is our celebration of the most beautiful and precious gift that God has given us. May we always receive the Body and Blood of Christ, now and forever, with our deepest respect and love.

Homily for the Seventh Sunday of Easter, Year B Acts 1:15-17, 20-26/ Psalm 103/1John 4:11-16/ John 17:11-19 THEME: United we stand, divided we fall

The period of Novena is a reminder to all of us that the Holy Spirit is a person and personhood presupposes a relationship. If we fail to relate to the Holy Spirit, our Christian journey will be fruitless. What is to become of Jesus´ followers when he has returned to his Father? What can they expect? Should they withdraw from the world? Should they disband and disperse? And if not, what spirit should animate them? In the wake of the Ascension, these are vital questions – questions, in the last analysis, about the Church – that today´s liturgy addresses. As we approach the great feast of Pentecost, Mother Church reminds us that united we stand, divided we fall. In his prayer to the Father the night before his death… it is clear that in Jesus´ mind and intention, his disciples are to remain together. Further still, they are to be so closely united as to be one, "as I and the Father are one". That the apostles understood this is witnessed to not merely by the fact that after the Ascension they all gathered together in the Upper Room awaiting the coming of the Holy Spirit, as he had commanded them, but that they immediately set about choosing a successor for Judas (First Reading). Jesus, in fact, chose twelve, and as "the Twelve" they were known in early Christian tradition. The number is specifically related to the twelve tribes of Israel, the fullness of God´s people (see Luke 22:29-30; Matthew 19:28). Becoming one, they are to call together all his people in one "gathering" (qahal, Hebrew, or ekklesia, Greek), which in English we call the Church. Jesus´ Church is not to hide itself away. In fact, Jesus has "sent them into the world", precisely so that through them others can come to believe (John 17:20). However, they are to be different ("not of the world"), animated by a different spirit: "consecrated (i.e., set apart)… by means of the truth". The world – in greater or lesser measure in different epochs – will value expediency, or fame, or pleasure, or popularity, or power, or wealth; but what sets his followers apart is their dedication (consecration) to teaching the world the truth about God, about man, about life and death. In the gospel reading of today, Jesus exercises his priestly character distinctly by interceding for his disciples. As a priestly people, our role as intercessors cannot be under-estimated. The emphasis in this section is on the safety of the believer; God keeps His own (John 17:11-12). Our safety depends on the nature of God, not our own character or conduct. When he was on earth, Jesus kept his disciples and they could depend on him. “I kept them in my name” (John 17:12). If the limited saviour in his humanity could keep them while he was on earth, should he not be able to keep them now that he is glorified in heaven? He and the Father, together with the Holy Spirit are surely able to guard and secure God’s people. We also have the fellowship of the Church: “That they may be one, as we are” (John 17:11). The New Testament knows nothing of isolated believers; wherever you find saints, you find them in fellowship. Why? Because God’s people need each other. Jesus opened his upper room message by washing the disciple’s feet and teaching them to minister to one another. No wonder the disciples discovered how weak they were and how they need each other. The believer, then, is secure in Christ for many reasons: the very nature of God, the nature of salvation, the glory of God and the intercessory ministry of Christ. A very ancient tradition about the apostle John –essentially transmitted to us in the entire letter from which today´s second reading is taken – tells that when the apostle was very old, his disciples used to carry him into the liturgical gatherings of the Christians at Ephesus, and ask him to speak, and that every time he would repeat the same few words: "My little children, love one another," over and over again. It was deeply ingrained in John´s memory that this was Jesus´ last will and the distinguishing mark he had willed for his Church: "by this all will know that you are my disciples" (John 13:35). The various "names and images" applied to the Church in Sacred Scripture (CCC 751-752) offer a mosaic that fills out our understanding of this mystery, of which we – in our local church – are a concrete realization. The Church was prepared for and instituted by Christ himself (CCC 763-766), in continuity with the Father´s plan of salvation (CCC 759-762). That it gathers around the "college" of the Twelve, and their constant, ongoing replacements, the bishops, is part in Jesus plan – the Church is not hierarchical by accident of history, but in its essence (CCC 874-887). (In the impossibility of dealing with all of these in any depth, they could form part of an overview, or some elements left for another occasion). The oneness that Jesus willed for his Church should manifest itself at different levels namely unity of faith with the Holy Father. With our bishop: among the very earliest post-Testament writers, St Ignatius of Antioch insists on nothing with greater frequency or urgency than the unity of all the members of each local church with their bishop. Unity in the celebration of the Church´s liturgy in our parish, setting aside personal preferences is what the Church stands for from its etymology ecclesia. Unity with other Christians in the spirit of ecumenism especially in this age and time of the proliferation of Churches cannot be over-emphasised. In conclusion, the Word of God which Jesus gives us today brings us joy, love and power to live a holy life. It also gives us what we need to serve Him as witnesses in this world. Jesus prayer that the Father should sanctify us is not for the purpose of selfish enjoyment or boasting; it is that we might represent Christ in this world and win others to Him. We are reminded that as the Holy Spirit sanctifies us, ours is not to become proud or adopt a holier than thou attitude. Instead, we are called to witness and we had better obey. How can we be overcome by the world when we have the Word of God to enlighten us, enable us and encourage us? All of these suppose faithfulness to the truth, and all are nourished, brought forward and sustained by living fraternal charity.

Homily for the Sixth Sunday of Easter, Year B Acts 10:25-26, 34-35, 44-48/ Psalm 98/1John 4:7-10/ John 15:9-17 THEME: True love perfects our joy

The New Law is a law of love (Gospel) that is valid for everyone. It is universal and requires universal love, for theological love, by nature, cannot exclude. This is made manifest in the opening of the doors of the Church to non Jews (First Reading), in which Peter discovers that “the Lord has revealed to the nations his saving power” (Responsorial Psalm). Knowledge of God through faith leads to an all-giving love for God (Second Reading), and here we see that the fulfillment of the New Law is tantamount to a life of the theological virtues. Today's gospel gives us two models of personal relationship to Jesus: as a servant (in Greek doulos means "slave") or as a friend. At any given point in our faith journey one of these two models is dominant. Either we see our relationship to Christ mainly in terms of master-servant or in terms of friend-friend. With the exception of mystics, traditional lay spirituality in the church has usually followed the master-servant model. Jesus is seen more as a master to be feared, respected and obeyed than as a friend to love in intimacy and familiarity. The gospel reading, therefore, challenges us to rethink our relationship with Christ because, evidently, Christ himself prefers to relate with his disciples as friend to friend rather than as master to servant: "I do not call you servants any longer, because the servant does not know what the master is doing; but I have called you friends" (John 15:15). Jesus says that he would no longer call his disciples servants. This seems to indicate that he called them servants until then. Our relationship with Christ goes through different stages. First it starts off as a master-servant relationship when we are new to the faith, but then as our relationship with Christ deepens it changes into a less formal friend-friend type of relationship. Why, then, do so many of us stick to the master-servant way of relating to Christ as if it were the only way? Today's gospel is a call for us to move beyond the infant stage, the servant-master relationship, and go over to the adult stage, the friend-friend way of relating to Christ. This will change the way we pray and the way we live. We shall begin to pray better (John 15:7) and to experience more peace and joy in our lives, as people do who are in love. One objection that is often raised by those who promote the master-servant model of relating to Christ is the concern that we are unworthy. Sure enough, we are not worthy. But Jesus has already taken that into consideration. He reminds us that "You did not choose me but I chose you" (John 15:16). If he has decided to chose us in our unworthiness and to love and accept us as we are, then we should not fix our gaze on ourselves and ask, "Who am I, Lord, that you should love me?" Rather we should fix our gaze on him and ask, "Who are you, Lord, that you love me so?" How can we tell the difference between the irreverence and disrespect shown by those who have no serious relationship with the Lord and true familiarity which grows out of a loving relationship with Him? The key is keeping the Lord's commandments. Yes, God loves and accepts us as we are, but God loves us too much to leave us as we are. We love babies as they are, yet we want them to grow up. God expects us, similarly, to grow in His love. The Lord's offer to us of friendship and intimacy with him should not be an excuse for callousness and indifference. Just as God showed His love for us in deed by sending his Son to die for us, so is true love for God always shown in deed by the way we keep the twin commandments of love of God and neighbour. By this we can know if we are truly Christ's friends, because, "You are my friends if you do what I command you" (John 15: 14). “God is love.” Such an affirmation is simple and absolute. Nonetheless, to enter into this mystery and truly understand it requires more than intellectual knowledge. To know that God is love requires our participation in his divine love. Authentic knowledge of God is only born in a simple heart that is open and attentive to him. Ultimately, this knowledge of God, of divine Love, is a personal experience. “Man”, says John Paul II, “is constantly tempted to distance himself from the source of love” (Veritatis Splendor). The harmony is broken, and man still searches for peace, life, and a solution to this tragedy. The solution is indeed, a personal relationship with Jesus.S Out of love Christ offers himself to the Father as innocent, expiatory victim for the sins of the world: “Yet he was pierced through for our faults, crushed for our sins. On him lies the punishments that brings us peace, and through his wounds we are healed” (Isaiah 53:5). Upon giving his life, he not only re-opens the gates of heaven, but he gives us a new commandment: “Love one another as I have loved you” (John 15:12). This new commandment is a compendium of the New Law, which, like goodness itself, is given to creatures. And it is in living this new commandment that man rediscovers his happiness and peace, his very life. “Jesus asks us to follow him and to imitate him along the path of love, a love which gives itself completely to the brethren … to the end.” Nonetheless, “Following Christ is not an outward imitation, since it touches man at the very depths of his being…. To imitate and live out the love of Christ is not possible for man by his own strength alone. He becomes capable of this love only by virtue of a gift received. As the Lord Jesus receives the love of his Father, so he in turn freely communicates that love to his disciples” (Veritatis Splendor 20-22). In conclusion, I celebrate all mothers today in particular because I feel that mothers are the strongest personification of love and that we learn from them as our first teachers how to love. May we love each other as our mothers love us, and may the joy that Christ offers fill your hearts and stay with you each and every hour of the day, comforting you when inevitable suffering or pain passes by. And this is the Good News we need to share with each other every day!

Homily for the Fifth Sunday of Easter, Year B Acts 9:26-31/ Psalm 22/1John 3:18-24/ John 15:1-8 THEME: The Vine Dresser watches

The Christian life is a profound communion with Christ, the true vine, and with his body the Church. Anyone who is not united to him through faith and love (Second Reading) is no longer alive with the divine life, nor serves any purpose (Gospel). Those who remain united to Christ learn to reproduce his way of life in themselves and are fruitful, thus building up the Church. The Gospel reading today reminds us that being a member of the Church is something much more profound than simply subscribing to a series of doctrinal statements. It is a question of an internal communion of each believer with Christ, such that the life flowing through the trunk (Christ and the Church, his Body) and the members is one and the same. It is the life of the children of God, communicated to us in baptism, and by virtue of which “we become members of Christ, are incorporated into the Church and made sharers in her mission” (CCC 1213). The gospel writer uses the word Abide or Remain eleven times (11 x) which is an indication that we cannot be fruitful Christians if we do not remain or abide in Jesus. Indeed, it is our being with him that will animate our ministry and give it life and vigour. Abiding in Jesus does not mean just been his companion. The word abide in this context means integration. We must be integrated in Christ. This is what will guarantee us salvation. The author of the fourth gospel reminds us again that apart from the Lord, we can do nothing. This is because the vine dresser cuts away the branch that does not bear fruit. What this cutting suggests is total annihilation of him who is cut off. However, he prunes that one that bears fruit so that it can bear more. A necessary suffering and discipline is needed for those who bear fruit so that they can bear more. This means that we are invited to abide in the Lord our entire life not just for a day or a year. There is always the temptation in every human being to become independent of the Lord especially in our moments of joy. However, the moment we become independent of Jesus, we are totally annihilated. We need to consciously and constantly depend on Jesus because the vine dresser is always watching and ready to cut off and prune. Indeed, we can do nothing without him. This is what the Psalmist emphasises when he says, “Unless the Lord builds the house, those who build it labour in vain. Unless the Lord guards the city, the guard keeps watch in vain” (Psalm 127:1). Finally the author says, “I have said these things to you so that my joy may be in you and that you joy may be complete. Indeed, “the resurrection of Jesus Christ has given hope to the yearnings of humanity” says Pope Benedict XVI. Life is not worth living without Christ. The kind of joy that Jesus invites us too is one that is not borne out of personal aggrandizement but one that Jesus himself gives. This means that our joy is incomplete without Christ. The allegory of the vine, therefore, reveals the common bond uniting all Christians brought about by baptism. “Baptism constitutes the foundation of communion among all Christians, including those who are not yet in full communion with the Catholic Church …the sacramental bond of unity existing among all who through it are reborn” (CCC 1271). We are all under the watchful care of the Vine Dresser. Being a Christian does not just mean being part of the community of believers. It is developing a personal relationship with Jesus. Unlike trees, Christians who have the misfortune to lose the sap of divine life through sin can return to life through the Sacrament of Reconciliation. More important, however, is nourishing and strengthening that life through the Sacraments, prayer and the exercise of Christian charity. The Eucharist is the most privileged source in which we can seek to strengthen our unity with the Vine. God is the Father and divine Gardener who cares for the vine, and is constantly stripping the branches of excess growth that stops them from bearing fruit. That excess growth is evident when we are dedicated to adding surplus fat to our body, our spirit, our wallet, or our self-conceit. God’s intervention may come in the form of illness, disappointments, personal or business failures, and adversities of many other kinds. We are tempted to protest at his intervention: it is painful. In fact, we often fail to recognize what he is doing at all; “how can God allow this to happen to me?” But only if we accept it, even to the point of thanking him for it, will our lives overcome the sterility that threatens them and bear the rich fruit he has destined them to. In sum, we will be most fruitful if we become real disciples of Christ by learning to love as he has loved us. If we express it in deeds, it will be a visible sign of our belonging to him and a vivid invitation to others to join us. God changes His workmen, but His work goes on. And you and I are privileged to be part of that work today. The vine dresser is watching.